In "The Handmaid's Tale," the author Margaret Atwood explores the ephemeral nature of love and its complex emotions. The speaker reflects on a past relationship that once felt all-consuming but has faded over time, likening the fading love to a painful memory that is difficult to grasp fully. This sense of nostalgia is tinged with both wonder and confusion as the speaker acknowledges how deeply invested they had been, yet how transient that investment turned out to be.

The passage suggests that as time passes, it becomes easier to look back on past loves with a sense of acceptance. The realization of having once loved someone deeply, but now recognizing it as a thing of the past, brings a peculiar comfort. It hints at the societal pressures that often lead friends to downplay such relationships, adding layers of complexity to the nature of love and memory.